<Brian> Ginrai!
<Ginrai> Yeah?
<Brian> You are having a dream -- at least, you think you're having a dream.
<Brian> You were last on the tower, in your frail lorekeeper body, but now you feel like you're back in your old body, lying on a futon in a Japanese looking room.
<Ginrai> "Ugh... what happened?"
Ginrai shakes his head
<Brian> Hmm. Reminds you of your trip to Japan, actually. All the walls are ricepaper.
<Brian> One of them slides open, and you see a familiar character, carrying your stone knife -- though, it's golden in his hands, and not stone.
Ginrai waves to the other person as he tries to remember who he is
<Brian> You recognize Shade.
<Brian> "Heya," he says warily.
<Ginrai> "Ah, hey Shade... wait... does this mean that spell actually killed me?"
<Brian> "Uh ... I don't think so," he says, taking a seat on the floor nearby. "I'm pretty sure you're alive if I can talk to you."
<Ginrai> "Ah... so this is like what happened to everyone else, then?"
<Brian> "Something like that. I'm a bit new to this whole being a Brother of Morpheus thing ... but Alan's helped me out and showed me that I can still help you ... a little bit. You want to talk to the oracle?"
Ginrai nods. "Sure."
<Brian> "Okay." Shade furrows his brow in concentration, and waves a hand over his knife. An image appears in the air above it of a pond, with a young girl sitting on the edge, dabbling her toes in the water.
<Brian> She's wearing white Grecian robes, and has dark hair.
<Ginrai> "Ah, hello... Relm?"
<Brian> Relm looks up. "Parthipan?" she asks.
<Brian> "How can I help you?"
<Ginrai> "I was wondering... Bjorn recently told me that the Seventh Cabal helped power one of the upcoming Generals to the point where we would need outside help to defeat it and that I was necessary for that. Could you explain more about this to me?"
<Brian> "Oh," Relm says, frowning. "Well ... for what it's worth, I've actually made an ally. I have met with Pandora, who is another oracle. She knows someone who can break the rules of the Dream you're in and stop that General."
<Ginrai> "Did she explain how that would be done?"
<Brian> "She said that one of you would have to summon Alan. But once that was done, he would be summoned and take care of things."
<Ginrai> "How would we do that?"
<Brian> "That ... I'm not certain," Relm says, frowning. "Let's see...." She concentrates for a moment, and then says, "He is ... a friend to wolves ... and if you ask the wolves, they will call him."
<Ginrai> "Hmm.... Is there any way I can talk to them now?"
<Brian> "I can try," Relm says, nodding.
<Ginrai> "Thank you."
<Brian> She nods her head again, and Shade starts to say something ... and then everything vanishes.
<Brian> We'll end the session here.
When Parthipan wakes up, he is lying in the bed of his room, dizzy, and has a headache. It feels rather like someone stabbed him in the skull, twisted the knife a bit, and then walked off.
In addition, when he first sits up, his perspective of the room shifts, warps, and bends around, as though reality had become infirm and distorted. Someone near Parthipan helps him sit up, and holds a basin under his chin ... but Parthipan manages to keep his stomach somewhat settled before lying back down and closing his eyes.
Even sounds come through oddly distorted, though when someone speaks (and the voice is familiar,) he understands that well enough.
"You doing okay, Dr. McSwarthicus?" Durant asks. "Try not to move too much ... you look kinda pale."
Ginrai cluthes his head. "What... happened? First I saw... I saw... Fuck, that must've been some sort of hallucination because then I saw Shade."
After realizing who was in front of him, he squints his eyes and asks, "Paul? I thought you were in jail. Also, where are we and where's Meg and Chris?"
"Your buddies on the towertop?" Durant asks, leaning over Parthipan and peering down. "Well, one of them turned into ash. The other one just went into a wicked siezure, but they took her to the healers. She was still twitching, so I guess she's probably healable. Uh. Your other friend might not have made it.
"About the jail thing ... I don't really have TOO much time, so to make things quick, I just want you to know -- if you need to get into contact with me, there's a woman in the kitchens named Margret. Give her some money and ask for her favorite storyteller. Until then, I'm gonna keep an eye on you guys, because even if Lord Bjorn von Throw-you-in-jail-and-leave-you-to-rot doesn't care about me, I'm still your friend." Durant glances over his shoulder at the wall containing the door.
Parthipan's eyes refuse to cooperate enough to see the door clearly, as it continually slides across the wall. The moment passes, and Durant turns his attention back to Parthipan.
"Okay," he says in a slightly quieter voice. "Just as an F.Y.I. I didn't kill those guards there, but who's going to believe that an 'assasin king' is guilty of murder in that situation? Also, the rotting in jail thing got kind of old. S0, when my new blackmailer and best friend said, 'Here's a knife that makes you invisible, I used it to kill your captors,' I kind of had little in the way of options. If you get my drift."
Upon hearing what happened to the other two lorekeepers, Ginrai begins to recall what he had seen before he was knocked out. As images of Chris' body disintegrating before his very eyes and of Meg's face covered in blood pouring out from her ears and nose, he immediately covers his mouth as his body begins to convulse.
After the urge to throw-up lessened, Ginrai takes some deep breaths in order to calm down. "I... need to see Meg later. If she's still alive, I owe her at the very least an apology."
He then looks back at Paul and says, "How were you able to get me away from them or are we right now in the infirmary?" After pausing for a moment, he adds, "Who was it that gave you the knife and killed your captors? Is he working for the Dreadmarch?"
"I'd really rather not say for my own ... assistance," Durant says with a grimace. "And we're in your room. I'm working against the Dreadmarch, still, and so is my new best friend. And blackmailer. Anyway. I've got to go before I get caught -- sounds like someone's coming for you. Take it easy."
With that, Durant vanishes. Parthipan does not see the door open, but gets the distinct impression that he's gone....
When Phil arrives in the tower, he's directed to Parthipan's room. Phil reaches the door just as Radagast knocks on it, glancing over at Phil in vague surprise. "Ah," Radagast says. "Lord Bloom, it's good to see you again."
Ginrai stretches his arms for a bit, eyes closed in concentration. 'Ah, shit... could it be Lindsey who freed him? Fuck! Great move there, Bjorn. You might've just done enough to help convince him to change sides once we're out.'
He waits to see if anyone's coming in like Paul mentioned before he left.
"Sorry to bother you, Radagast. But did you notice anything odd about the end of that...fight tonight?"
Dracos
"Yes," Radagast says, nodding. "But ... if you don't mind, Lord Bloom, I need to check on Master Parthipan." Not waiting for a reply, Radagast opens the door, and steps into the room, where Parthipan is lying on the bed.
"Good to see you awake so soon," Radagast says, managing a bit of a smile. "How are you feeling, Windmaster?"
Ginrai frowns. "I still feel a bit out of it, but better than before. What went wrong with the spell?"
"I'm not entirely certain," Radagast admits, glancing back briefly at Phil. "our understanding of combining the powers of lorekeepers is ... not truly complete, at best. This ... is why I was reluctant to side with Devin's request that this be done without futher preparation."
Ginrai sighs and closes his eyes. "Chris... I saw him turn to ashes. What's the status on Meg?"
"It was an arrogant and foolhardy suggestion, but what's done is done. And it did work. I'm just worried about the long term effects and other things." Dracos made sure the door was shut. "The moon, for example, did not instantly set with the general being slain by the spell? And... I see." Dracos shook his head. "I'm sorry to be bludgeoning in on this, but what happened at the end worries me quite a bit. What exactly was what you summoned?"
Dracos
Before Parthipan can answer, Radagast tells him, "Unfortunately ... Chris did not survive, and it seems unlikely that Meg will be able to use her lores again." He shakes his head. "Though, she will live, and there is at least that."
Glancing at Phil, Radagast then lets Parthipan speak before continuing.
"As Devin mentioned in the meeting, what you saw out there was a Titan." Turning to Radagast, he says with a wry smile, "That's good to hear. Will she get any sort of compensation for this? If possible, can I see her later on?"
"Of course," Radagast nods. "For the moment, I'm relatively certain that what she will want more than anything else is rest, however."
"That's good, but what IS a titan specifically? A magical golem? It seemed to act odd for one. Anyhow, that isn't as interesting to me at the moment as the issue with the moon. Radagast, you mentioned earlier that the crystal was taken from the temple of Lienne that we'd lose the blessing of the moon?"
Dracos
"The Titans are the children of the younger gods," Radagast says, nodding. "And if the crystal was removed from the temple of Liene, we would lose the blessings of the moon, yes ... though in theory ... if we were to place the crystal below the keep, it would retain it's function." He looks uncomfortable about gambling on a theory.
"What if someone else took it? How common knowledge would this the loss of blessing be?"
Dracos
"I don't expect it would be too common, especially if we were reasonably ... cautious ... about revealing that information," Radagast says thoughtfully. Sighing, he hangs his head. "So much change in so little time ... you've come to this world like wildfire embodied in flesh. I only hope your changes don't destroy this world."
Turning his head towards Dracos, Ginrai asks, "Wait, what's going on? You're going to try and take the crystal from Liene?!"
"I didn't say that Gin. Tonight the battle did not end when the general died. The moon did not immediately rise and the dreadmarch was not immediately driven away. This could be nothing but at the same time, it worries me. And having been told that, I instantly considered it as a possibility. By removing the crystal there, we could be handicapped significantly if it would remove the blessing here."
Dracos
Radagast nods. "It is one of the things we depend on greatly," he says.
"So... We cannot go directly to retrieve it immediately because if we do, we can be warning the Archanoe who'll be prepared, and thus deadly, for when you sneak in. At the same time, we cannot completely ignore the possibility. Therefore, I came to ask about ways to check if it the crystal is still in Lienne without moving there."
Dracos
Radagast blinks slowly. "Ah," he says, nodding. "Now I understand the nature of your concern." Rubbing his chin, he closes his eyes, and concentrates.
About a minute passes, Parthipan and Phil waiting for Radagast to do something.
Nodding, Radagast opens his eyes. "I have sent my friends to investigate," he says, nodding. "We shall find out what the status of the crystal is shortly ... it is still warm at the temple, so birds have no qualms about being near it."
Dracos nods. "Thanks. That should be a safe way to go about it."
Dracos
Ginrai blinks after hearing their plan. "So you're going to try to bring both crystals here? Who's going to get the one from the Archonae?"
Dracos turned around, somewhat stunned as he gave Ginrai a 'what are you an idiot' look, before shaking his head. "Yes, yes we are. Radagast and Nathan and Eske and a few others. Do not talk about this overmuchly."
Dracos
"I wouldn't worry about it, truly," Radagast advises. "Unless you know something we don't, and if that's the case, we've time to discuss it later. Now, however, I think we should leave Master Parthipan alone to get some rest, Lord Bloom."
"Agreed. Parth, get well. Don't die." Dracos remarked, with a bit of a tongue in cheek grin at him. He then turned around to exit. "Radagast, can you contact me when you get confirmation about the crystal? I'm going to head over and research anything we have on breaking such wards."
Dracos
Ginrai chuckles at Dracos' comment and waves back. "Good luck, Phil."
He then asks Radagast, "What is my current status? Will I be ready to take part in the next battle?"
Phil now goes to Masquerade (http://www.pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=40529#40529).
"That remains to be seen," Radagast says thoughtfully. "Perhaps, with rest ... though, as things went, you were very lucky to even be alive."
Ginrai nods. "If possible I'd like to be out there to at least stop any potential attacks by the Jotun."
"We shall see," Radagast says, managing a smile. "In the meantime, you should rest. Is there anything I can get you while you recover?"
"I don't think there's anything I need right now." Yawning, he says, "Probably just some rest."
Radagast nods at Parthipan. "Very well," he says. "Try to recover as much strength as you can."
Radagast gives Parthipan an encouraging nod, and then turns to head for the door.
Ginrai waits for a bit to see if anyone else will be coming in before heading back to sleep.
Just as Ginrai is about to doze off, there's a quiet, nearly tremulous knock at the door.
"Come in!"
The door opens slowly and Astryd steps into the room cautiously, looking around and apparently surprised no one else is present.
"Ah," she says hesitantly. "Are you feeling any better?" she asks, closing the door behind her and moving to stand closer to the window, and the moonlight streaming in from it.
"Hi! I'm feeling okay now though Radagast said that I might need some more rest so I can take part in the next battle."
Lifting his head up so he can see Astryd, he asks, "So, what have you been up to?"
"Just preparing for the trip south," she says, shaking her head. "I hope that everything turns out well ... and I also wanted to warn you that ... I don't entirely trust Devin.
"I think he was far too willing to put you in danger last night."
"Oh? Which place will you be heading to?
"As for Devin...." Ginrai sighs. "I'm not sure about that. To me it seemed that he didn't expect it to turn out the way it did. Is he also going on the mission? There were a few things I wanted to ask him about the spell."
"I'm going to the Archonae city," Astryd replies after a moment. "We're going to try and recover the missing crystals. Hopefully Radagast will be able to retrieve the one we seek...." She shakes her head. "Devin will be staying behind, so you'll have plenty of time to ask him about the ... spell."
Ginrai looks slightly concerned at that. "Good luck on it going well. What plan do you guys have for retrieving it and who will be with you?"
"The plan is not mine," she says apologetically. "It's Radagast and Eske's. But thank you, Master Parthipan." She offers a smile. "Take care of yourself." She starts moving to the door, but pauses to give him time to respond.
Ginrai smiles and nods in return. "You too, Astryd. I hope that your mission is a safe and successful one."
Astryd nods back, smiling positively, but saying nothing as she sweeps out the door and leaves Parthipan alone again.
Ginrai sighs and tries to go back to sleep.
Just as Parthipan is about to doze off, a knock sounds at his door.
Ginrai sighs. "Come in!"
Dracos opened the door. "Still up, Parthipan? Got something important I need your help with."
Dracos
Radagast and Nathan step into the room behind Phil, Radagast carefully closing the door before quietly announcing, "The crystal of Liene remains in place. I've heard back from my allies."
"Yeah. Haven't slept since you left before. So, what's going on?"
Dracos briefly glanced at Radagast. "That's very reassuring to hear. Thank you for checking that out on my paranoia."
Dracos turned back to Ginrai. "Parth, here's the deal, Paul's made contact with us. No one can know this outside of this room because if this gets out it'll cause extra suspicion that we don't need. Rez wants him to come along and help on with sneaking around the Archonae. To do this though, he has to be disguised so that he isn't recognized before we leave and until after he can just hide himself again. Radagast is willing to do the disguise work but he needs Astryd's help. I'd like do whatever you can to convince Astryd to help out without causing a ruckus or letting word spread about this. Any questions?"
Dracos
The edges of Ginrai's lips curve downward in a slight frown. "I'll try, though why couldn't Paul be invisible during that time? Wouldn't that be easier?"
Nathan shrugs helplessly.
"I don't trust his invisibility. The archonae . . . well. Radagast doesn't think the Archonae could see through an illusion, but we've got no such promises about his invisibility, and no real way to test it. It's not something I'd like to stake all our lives on, to be honest."
Ginrai nods. "I see.... I'll try to get Astryd to help out. Could one of you ask her to come here?"
Dracos blinked. "This preferrably occurs Parthipan, without it being indicated that you are being told to do this. You understand?"
Dracos
Ginrai blinks. "I'll try with that, though I'm sure she would realize someone had requested me to do this since I already talked with her a short while ago."
"It's the subtle tone, Gin. Acting like a pawn will likely leave suspicion. And...we probably shouldn't be standing around watching except maybe Radagast?"
Dracos glanced at him trying to get an idea on his thoughts.
Dracos
"Okay. I guess we should get this done as soon as possible then."
Radagast frowns. "Well, I can fetch her. Lord Bloom and Sir Shuker, you should wait in the next room." Radagast ponders something, and then leads both Storm-riders away. When he returns, it is with Astryd in tow, who looks a little bit confused at being brought there.
"Parthipan?" she asks. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I'll be doing so in a bit though before that I needed to discuss an important issue with you." Ginrai takes a deep breath before continuing. "A friend from my world recently came into some trouble here. In hopes of things cooling down here, he decided to go with Sir Shakur to help him out in retrieving the crystal. For this to work, though, he'll need to be disguised so that he won't be recognized and we'll need your help in doing this."
Astryd looks puzzled at this. "I ... see. What manner of trouble?" she asks warily.
Ginrai tries not to avoid eye contact with her as he answers. "My friend is Paul Durant. Now, before you say anything, I personally believe he's telling the truth when he told me that he did not kill those guards."
Astryd blinks at this. "Killed guards?" she asks. "What?"
"Paul, the bard that saved us from Dorian's attack, is being accused of killing the guards and escaping. He told me that someone else had framed him for it and forced him to escape since staying there wouldn't help someone who people think is an assassin king."
"Oh," Astryd says, frowning. "But it's not true?" she asks, turning to look at Radagast.
Radagast nods at this, but says nothing.
"I see," Astryd says, still frowning. "Well ... if he must be hidden, then I suppose I can do so."
Ginrai nods. "Thank you so much. I know that Paul will be grateful for this."
Astryd nods. "As it may be," she says quietly. "Well, that's five of us, then. Radagast, Eske, myself, Nathan, and ... Paul. I suppose that I will be myself, Radagast will wear the guize of Mattias, and Paul and Nathan will be Neil and Ashton respectively?"
Radagast nods at this. "Lightmaster Rowic is in the city of the Archonae," he says, as though in warning.
Astryd nods back, but only says, "I must prepare then. Is there aught else?"